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Q: Is this a SCAM?????????? ( Answered,   2 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Is this a SCAM??????????
Category: Business and Money > eCommerce
Asked by: ricmex-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 30 May 2005 00:31 PDT
Expires: 29 Jun 2005 00:31 PDT
Question ID: 527195
Hi, I been invited to participate in a home base business, and this is the link:
http://libertyleague.com

Could you tell me if this is a Scam or if it's serious and if it's worth joining?

Thanks.

Request for Question Clarification by rainbow-ga on 30 May 2005 00:48 PDT
Hi ricmex,

Searching the Better Business Bureau, I was able to find the following
regarding Liberty League International:

"This company is not a member of this Better Business Bureau."

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
"Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with
the Bureau due to a pattern of complaints. Complaints are concerning
selling practices. Specifically, complaints allege misrepresentation
of the products or services offered by the company. Complaints also
concern requests for refunds. One complaint is unresolved."


ADDITIONAL FILE INFORMATION
"The Bureau has requested basic information from this company. The
Bureau has not received a response.

Prospective investors should carefully examine a multi-level sales
program to be reasonably certain it is not a pyramid scheme which
emphasizes recruitment of distributors rather than retail sale of the
product. Investors should be wary of promises of high potential
earnings, especially without effort, time and serious personal
commitment. No more than a minimal initial inventory should be
required to become a distributor, and a reliable firm will guarantee
in writing that unsold products will be bought back for a certain
percentage of the original price. Pyramid schemes are illegal in
virtually every state. The fact that some underlying program is
offered does not make them legal. Anyone who participates in these
programs could also be subject to criminal prosecution. Consumers are
advised to call their local Attorney General and the Federal Trade
Commission for more information."

Source: Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org/

Please let me know if the above information suffices as an answer to your question.

Best regards,
Rainbow
Answer  
Subject: Re: Is this a SCAM??????????
Answered By: politicalguru-ga on 30 May 2005 06:33 PDT
 
Dear Ric, 

Here are several source indicating that it might be a pyramid scheme style scam: 

Joe Fitzsimmons, "Liberty League or Liberty Scam?", Thursday, October
28, 2004 - <http://www.boconline.com/news-articles/templates/templatemain.aspx?articleid=65&zoneid=1>

MLM Watchdog: Slightly Slimmy Aussie 2ups, LIBERTY LEAGUE AND COSTAL VACATIONS!
<http://www.mlmwatchdog.com/Report_Aussie_2up.html> 

WHAM.com discussions: 
<http://www.wahm.com/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number=59> 

Liberty League scam? You bet-read this 
<http://www.wahm.com/boards/Forum59/HTML/000222.html> 

  Liberty League and Saturation: What they don't want you to know. 
<http://www.wahm.com/boards/Forum59/HTML/000196.html> 

Liberty League is about to implode. Get out now!!! 
<http://www.wahm.com/boards/Forum59/HTML/000198.html>

I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
further clarifications on this answer before you rate it.
Comments  
Subject: Re: Is this a SCAM??????????
From: tonyrush-ga on 30 May 2005 20:44 PDT
 
Liberty League International is a legitimate direct sales company
based on Scottsdale, Arizona.  The real benchmark for legitimacy is
not the BBB (which is a for-profit company that has no regulatory
power.)

To understand if something is a scam (or is violating any pyramid
schemes), you need to understand what makes a business opportunity
legal and what does not.  In a nutshell, the regulatory agencies that
oversee these issues is the FTC and, more usually, the Attorney
General in the state in which the company operates.

The chief things they look for are:

1.  Is there a legimate product or service being sold to the end consumer?
2.  Are the representatives being paid for recruiting others alone or
are they being paid for products sold?

Liberty League International associates only earn money when someone
purchases a product.  (They have three:  a 90-day home study course,
and two live seminars that take place several times each year).

No one earns money for "enrolling" someone and only product sales
allow reps to earn income.  I have found no record that Liberty League
International has any pending lawsuits (public or private) and they
are not in dispute with any regulatory agency in either United States
or Canada.

The BBB's records reflect an unresolved refund request.  But, careful
research shows that the complaints are filed by people who paid a
retail price to an independent sales representative who paid the
company a wholesale price to fulfill the order.  Then, they are
requesting the RETAIL refund from the company even though the company
only received a wholesale order.  It's like buying a car from a local
Ford dealership and then asking Ford Motor to refund your full price.

It's also worth mentioning that LLI offers a 72-hour right of
rescision on all purchases.  Anyone responding within three days gets
a complete refund.

For more information on "Liberty League International:  Real or Scam",
visit http://libertyleagueintl.blogspot.com/

One final footnote:  much of the information found at MLMWatchdog
about "2-up pay plans" is based on outdated criticism of one
particular company (now defunct).  In my opinion, Mr. Cook's
tabloid-style comments bear no resemblance to what Liberty League
International is doing.

In a nutshell, the litmus test of the question is to contact the
Arizona Attorney General to determine if they have any issues with the
company.  I've done this and, to date, they have not.

I hope that assists you,
Tony Rush
Subject: Re: Is this a SCAM??????????
From: gabrielosorio-ga on 13 Jun 2005 12:02 PDT
 
Well I am not going to start my rebuttal with the cliche "Liberty
League International is a great company".

What I really want to do is shed some light on the product, a consumer
suggested that the "Beyond Freedom" product is overpriced. They
suggested the cost to manufacture the product is a mere $20. What I
also see is an accountability issue of pointing fingers and laying
blame to product, team, and organization.

Well here is my case as a graduate from an Ivy League College with an
MBA and the top 25 in the class. I was sure headed down the road to
success, great JOB, nice home, nice car, etc. Right ? Wrong, I paid in
excess of 160K dollars for an education that limited class instruction
to power point slides, and tons of BS projects. Worth the price tag?
NO WAY, you see I am one to value an education, but what good is an
education if it cannot empower you. I learned very fast that my
education was meant to empower someone else. First being my professors
whom financially benefited from my attendance, secondly I empowered my
employer by providing my talents and services and providing millions
of dollars in production. This is not even to mention that I demeaned
myself through the act of the so called "INTERVIEW". You know, the
part where you act not like yourself and over compensate your
character for the sake of landing that dream job. Most flattering to
the employer. They know you want the job, they know you possibly may
need the job, and they boast at how there were 1,000 candidates whom
applied and you my freind are lucky enough to be in their presence.

This my freind is the institutionalized America. Designed to create
empowerless individuals. designed to set us up with inopportunity,
lack luster employers, insufficient retirement funds. In contrast it
is designed to benefit the Corporate institutions, Why? Well it's
these companies that fuel a GLOBAL ECONOMY, Keep America in CONTENTION
as a rich and wealthy super-power. But how many of us are rich? say
about 6%.

In sum if anyone likes to join the game of pointing fingers, and
blaming others, stick to office politics. We have no room for you here
at Liberty League International. Go back to work and talk about how
screwed your boss is, not giving you a raise, vacation, time and an
awful AMOUNT OF WORK. Amazes me what people would do for $12 an hour.
Yet, it amazes me more what people won't do to take their financial
futures in their own hands.

We want individuals who will take responsibility for themselves, Who
know the scandalous infrastructure of today's America, designed to
keep some rich some poor but most middle-class of which our countries
financial statements depend on mostly.

So if Liberty League is a scam, than America is the chairman of "CONS R' US"

Empower yourself not anyone else. God bless !

Gabriel - Hartford, Connecticut
www.whatisyourgo.com
U.S.A.

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