I have been tending to two poorly children so have only now seen some of the new posts on this thread.
In the interest of fairness to the topic discussed, I want to clear up a couple of points. Again I repeat I am absolutely not promoting my own business on here, in fact an online forum would be the last place I'd ever look for clients or, God forbid, team members. My response is purely because it's not nice to leave a thread full of incorrect or incomplete information.
It is NOT TRUE that in a reputable network marketing company you simply get paid for "signing somebody up" into the business. Absolutely not the case. Anyone making an assumption that the person who is speaking to them is unable to make any sales, and is therefore looking for other people to just sign up, is making an incorrect and illogical assumption. Every penny paid, through commissions, royalties or bonuses, is based on real achieved sales (by all parties relevant). No sales, no pay (and the levels are not low, either). Please do not spread incorrect rumours.
AgaPanthers challenged me when I called our company a reputable company. Here is why I say it is so: Herbalife is a 7 BILLION dollar company, the biggest nutrition company on the planet, quoted on the New York stock exchange, the official nutrition sponsor to David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo, a whole host of Olympic gold winners etc. Its scientific board consists of 100% medical doctors, including a Nobel Prize winner, Dr Louis Ignarro. They have been thriving for over 30 years and will undoubtedly continue to thrive for many more, despite AgaPanthers' opinion of them (but you can't be popular with everyone).
Recently, an investigation has been started against them by the FTC in America. This is the result of a report produced in Dec 2012 by a man called Bill Ackman, an American billionaire hedge fund manager, in which he criticised some of the alleged business practices in Herbalife. Bill Ackman has publicly placed a 1 billion dollar stock market bet against Herbalife (something called a "short") which means that if he manages to drive their shares to zero, he will earn an unimaginable amount of money. Still, in 2013, Herbalife's shares went up by 140%, despite Ackman's relentless lobbying against it, which includes numerous Internet websites which claim to 'tell truth about Herbalife' and other such, and which on close reading make a full disclosure of being run by Pershing Capital (the company he is the CEO of). In 2013, Herbalife share prices have fallen some 30% so far, still leaving them way ahead. Market estimates of his loss so far, in this battle, range from 200-500 million dollars. Needless to say, he will be applying as much pressure on the company and the FTC as he can.
Investigation does not equal guilt. Investigation, on the contrary, is an excellent opportunity to clear your name and Herbalife have welcomed the investigation, for exactly those reasons. In fact, Ackman's own first company Gotham was investigated for trading practices in 2003 so he should know all about that.
As the CEO of Herbalife said, this is a temporary distraction.
Many of you have complained about the actions of a distributor you've come across. If you come across someone who you believe is making "outrageous health claims" for their product, report them to the company. They should not be doing that and their licence should be withdrawn. If it's a friend whose behaviour is annoying you, surely you could try giving them some benefit of the doubt? They are trying to change their life for better. Why not support them, or at least wish them well???? If you really are their friend. Or the least you could do, is be honest with them, not just bitch about them on an online forum (sorry, OP, I don't mean you). I'm sure they will be mortified to hear they have upset you. I'm sure they will try to amend their behaviour. No one wants to make enemies on purpose.
Our company does not advocate any particular rate of weight loss, certainly not 2-3 kg per week. If you know someone who is making this claim, warn them that it's against NHS guidelines and most likely against their own company's policy to say that. They could lose their licence over that.
If you don't like the idea of shakes, no problem. Find something else, which works for you. There are so many things out there.
If you don't like when your friend puts on Facebook about how nice it is to work from a park on a sunny day, don't follow their posts.
If you have come across one or even several people who are in network marketing, who have annoyed you, it's understandable that you are annoyed but there is no need to tarnish an entire industry, which comprises lots of different companies with literally millions of distributors (almost 2 million just in Herbalife), with the same brush.