Avoiding scams is easy. Just keep to the basics. And one basic says buyers should enjoy the freedom to choose what products they buy--and get the product they paid for. There's this networking company which, instead of sending you products you bought, sends you other products that have no connection, whatsoever, with the products you purchased. To get what you paid for, you have to buy them again 😄, the company said. Can you imagine that? They forfeit your freedom to choose the products you get and it's a sure scam. And surprisingly, buyers submit to this policy like slaves.
Photo above by Pickawood on Unsplash.
Obviously, the buyers didn't know their right as customers.
Imagine ordering mozzarella garlic pizza from a pizza store but the store gives you instant pancit canton. Naturally, you complain. Then the crews says, "If you want pizza, you have to order for it again, sir." So you ask them, "Why not just give me what I paid for?" Then they answer, "Company policy, sir." To them, that is logical and correct. If you complain, they look at you like you're nuts. I don't care if they give me the best pepperoni pizza in the world because that wasn't what I paid for. I want mozzarella garlic!
Customer is Always Right
They're breaking the basic principle on customers being always right--particularly, getting what they paid for. And this is especially so with network marketing. You have to get what you pay for because it's what you'd be marketing in your business, not some other product. You cannot sell what you do not like to eat or use. This company gets away with it because the customers do not know their rights and agree with the stupid policy.
Around early 1990s I and my wife joined a food franchise business with network marketing on the side. Included in the fee we paid for were the raw waffle products and cooking gadgets we'd need in the business, plus the collapsible outlet cubicle and the uniform of the crew. That was a swell and neat deal. Very legit. Definitely fair. It's how franchises should be.
Imagine getting a burger franchise and what you get is shampoo and surgical masks as "bonuses," and because they're bonuses you have no choice but to receive them (and the misled customers actually enjoy getting the "bonuses," saying they feel indebted to the company). If you want the burger product, you buy it because it does not come with the franchise fee you paid for. The franchise fee covers only the online system. It's a silly deal.
But remember, you want the burger franchise, not the system. If the system is crucial to how the burger is marketed, then the company shouldn't sell you just the system. Because you are interested to sell the product, not get the system. Product and marketing system should go together in a franchise. If you get a Jollibee or McDo franchise, you get both food product and system.
The moment the seller deprives you of the right to get the products you paid for, it's a scam, no matter if the company has been doing it like that with "success" or if many people are making money from it. It's still a scam. So be careful about scheming companies that look for a way to sell you their unsellable products lying idle in their stocks.
Product Packages
If it's a product package, it should be the package of your choice, not another package that's far from what you ordered. Product packages are pre-arranged sets of goods which may or may not all be what you wanted. There's a chance an item or two (or more) is not to your liking. But still, you get the right to choose the package you want. So what you do is get one that has more of what you really want or need. It's your right. The company cannot decide what package you get.
If it's Christmas time, for instance, and you go to SM grocery to buy a Christmas basket, you choose what you want and pay for it. And that's exactly what SM gives you. As simple as that. The basket may include a macaroni or mayonnaise brand you don't like, but you make sure that majority of its contents are agreeable to you. SM won't give you a different basket as a "bonus" and then tell you to buy again the basket you want if you want it. Doesn't make any sense. And it smells of pure scam.
Products that Don't Sell
Unscrupulous companies will force you to get their products that aren't selling. So they sell you these unmarketable or worthless products and even force them on you as a policy. But they make it sound like you're getting a good deal, like calling it a "bonus" the company gives to make customers feel grateful instead of scammed, and then make them feel obligated to make a purchase again because of the "bonus" the company gave. But there are serious problems with this scheme.
One is if you're allergic to the product being forced on you. No one has the right to force a product which can prove harmful to you. No company can assert the right to decide what products go to the customer (and which the customer pays for) if the customer refuses to, especially due to health reasons. You have every right not to accept a product package, for instance, you didn't order and pay for. No matter if the product package is full of good items.
The Best Product Package
Smart networking companies selling product packages opt to sell neutral products. This means the products are generally good for most people and commonly used. If say, it's a personal care product then it has to be what most folks use. Bath soaps and shampoos are good. The cutting edge here would be an all-organic ingredient, for instance, or something safe but cheaper.
Because it's an era of health consciousness we're in (especially in this pandemic), organic health supplements are in. Most people want them. So a product package of mostly health supplements will be a good idea. A package of organic weight loss pills, immune booster drinks and natural vitamins and minerals will definitely appeal to me. How about healthy and delicious coffee with health boosting ingredients?
