The public fight back against Polaris Media Group
Whilst talk of class action lawsuits have drifted in and out of the discussion sphere surrounding Polaris Media Group, there hasn’t really been that much of a non-internet based public challenge to distributors of the company.
Sure there’s the backlash that’s raged over the internet, but what about informing those that aren’t internet savvy? How do you reach out to those people before they’ve lost money?
Here in Melbourne at least one person has taken the fight for public awareness of Polaris Media Group to the streets…
For the most part posting up bandit signs in Australia is illegal as virtually every council has outlawed them. They’re tacky, look ugly and are often so small that nobody whizzing past at even 60 km/h is going to take any notice of them.
Obviously they’re relatively cheap to produce but as I’ve said before, bandit signs are a rubbish way to promote your business. Some Polaris Media Group associates however still seem hell bent on using them.
Here’s what happens when members of the community, often frustrated at a lack of response and accountability by local councils, start to fight back.
This sign was posted up around Monash University:
A similar modified sign was also seen in Heatherton.
This next sign seems to have been plastered over a widespread area of Melbourne’s east.
This particular one was found in Patterson River:
Identical signs were also found ‘edited’ at Carnegie, Chadstone, Bentlieigh East and Ashwood.
Wealthyu.com.au had several signs in Springvale Junction and Waverly Gardens that were taken out:
Whilst definitely a little on the cheeky side, it seems some people have taken it upon themselves to take action against the illegal advertising signs.
Sure beats waiting for the council to rock up and remove them!
Images supplied by CamerasCutCrashes and used with permission.
Note: Whilst the name OzSoapbox does appear in some of the defaced signs, I or anyone I personally know didn’t have any involvement in the sign editing.
these get rich quick scamms would make a great story for these current affairs shows , you’d think they’d have a go
well well well
certainly it’s time to make a stand against these illegal signs
as the councils wont do much to take them down, it’s up to us to encourage those who put them up to remove them (in shame)
why do ‘six figure’ businesses believe that they can attract customers with bandit signs on street poles and fences around vacant land?
not really a glossy marketing location.
NOTE – ozsoap had nothing to do with my actions 😉
D
The Gold Coast seems to have transformed from PMG into Dubli land.
Saw a stack of placards hastily stuck to signs in major intersections across the Coast advertising what they called the next Ebay..
Tony (delete) Rush is back…. https://infomastery.infusionsoft.com/go/video/SuziM/
Tony has been promoting that site the last couple of days on Twitter. From what I gather, it is a Rush, Braxton, Lavenia collaboration
Hey David, that link redirects to http://www.theundergroundentrepreneur.net which was registered on the 19th December 2009.
Where did your link come from and what’s the connection to Rush?
clicked on the http://www.theundergroundentrepreneur.net/ and the letter states from the desk of Tony Rush. I love the comment if you want to fly a plane you hang around with pilots…I have 2 good friends who are Qantas captains and I still cant fly a bloody plane 🙂
I just spent some time with my uncle yesterday who is a commercial pilot. We chatted about required testing and in-flight checks done by the airline and the FAA. I still don’t know how to fly a plane.
Ah Twitter, guess it is him then.
How do you know… I mean have you even tried to fly one?
I suggest you go out and buy yourself a plane and throw yourself into the cockpit. That’s how all succesful pilots started out. If you can’t afford a plane I have some protein power and cardboard wings you could strap to your arms I could sell you for $1495.
If that doesn’t work and you really can’t fly a plane it’s because you just weren’t positive enough. I’ve helped thousands of succesful pilots achieve flight via this method.
add /letter.html to the url that David linked and you’ll see the crap he’s trying to flog. (Ozedit: http://www.theundergroundentrepreneur.net/letter.html)
https://infomastery.infusionsoft.com/saleform/niuhnat
This page confirms the link to the four amigos, Tony, john, shannon and Gene.
If I’m reading that first link right…. his opening pitch is ‘hay guys, just find someone who’s succesful and copy them’.
If I was succesful at a business, why would I just let some new person watch my every move and divulge my business secrets to them?
It might have worked in Polaris under the guise of team building if you were in someone’s direct downline but how does this work in the real world?
I’m pretty sure if I want to make hamburgers and I start hanging around McDonalds 24/7 and then ask them to tell me all of their secrets I’m going to be escorted off the premises by security.
Well they seem to be doing just that as everything they are flogging at the moment seems to be straight from the Mike Dillard book of marketing. In essence they are ripping off dillards methods and flogging them as their own… oh.. and charging $47 a month for their cut and paste shite!
I have just had an ex-“colleague” from LLI call me with some info about Dubli. OMG he has not made a cent with LLI or PMG, been to 3 conferences and now has moved on to Dubli. He insists I check out his email and call him back, the next big thing apparently…..Hilarious.
If you haven’t taken a look yet Rod, have a read of the Dubli thread over at Whirlpool. Lots of questions, very few answers. Sound familiar?
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1278895
all to confusing for me
Yay … finally rid of my Polaris debt! Had to sell my great little car to clear the credit card though, but huge relief all the same. I know it’s only a drop in the bucket compared to alot of the other REAL testimonials that people have shared on here.
So please, please people, if you are checking out this Polaris business (ahem, scam), invest a couple of hours of your time on this website, and read the real life experiences for yourself. It will save you thousand’s of dollars in the long run (in some cases tens of thousands), along with all the financial stress and embarrassment that goes along with it.
Onward and upward for a great 2010!
J,
Welcome back to the cow pasture, we missed you. Finally, people are getting it and getting a job and leaving the getting rich stuff to other people.
well done J. Beware tho the main scammers have moved into Dubli, TVI Express and Wealth Masters etc Be afraid be very afraid
I can assure you that I am back to my cautious self, and steering well clear of any schemes, touting “The next big thing”, or “ground floor opportunity”, or “make so many $ in so many months”. It all screams dodgy to me. I’m quite happy in our HONEST “bricks & mortar” business, and my part-time job earning an HONEST income.
Hmm…I plan to get rich and have a job.
*shrug*
lol
ps: I wonder what thye scammers tell their kids “Daddy has to go and rip off some people today so you can have a new bike for your birthday”
Great to see people out there in the ‘real world’ not just here in cyber space highlighting LLI/PMG is a scam!
By you getting rid of those signs and their info, you could have saved so many people from getting sucked in – well done.
I agree that the current affairs programs would love to run a story on LLI now PMG – can’t you just see them chasing Rachel Oliver around while she buys 2k shoes and gets into her leased Porsche which she will lose soon when it all goes under, would be pretty sweet!
Am hoping a class action comes about, but doesn’t seem anyway is keen enough to be a part of one – I sure am!
P.S. Happy New Year Oz and all the regulars on these forums who help get the word out. The more people we tell in 2010, the less people lose 20k this year yay!
Hi All,
I have too say I’ve had enough and since the changeover from LLI to PMG and the fact that the fair trading department have declared LLI as a Pyramid scheme. I intend to sue the b**tards and I think everyone who has been involved and lost over $50,000 should do the same.
If you intend to join PMG ask yourself this…. why do you think that LLI/ PMG have had sooooo much negativity spread accross the internet etc and why do you think the Fair Trading department have declared LLI a Pyramid scheme. Call them and find out or call Consumer affairs/ ACCC in your state and ask them how many compliants thay have received.
Has anyone else been caught up in this. If so, lets all get together and stop this from happening to other innocent people who are just trying to find their own financial freedom or be happier in life. Complain to you states fair trading department/ ACCC. The more the better.
I’ve complained and am asking for a refund on all losses. I’ll let you know. Has anyone else done the same???
I left PMG in early November when I started feeling ‘out of integrity’ with myself for trying to get people to buy something I had made no money doing.
At that point, I had invested at least $30,000 in LLI/PMG, which was a big portion of my retirement. I had attended the event in Los Angeles in August and bought the “Package”.
With all the hype and music and enthusiasm and the ‘new company’, I have to say I was drawn in. It didn’t take me long to learn that it was all based on un-truths, and the omission was the fact that I was about to start funding (if I hadn’t already) Scientology.
Anyway, after I resigned I immediately started sending emails to PMG asking for refunds on the products I purchased in LA. I told them that I didn’t want the Beyond Freedom Evolution product (that were not out of production yet and wouldn’t be mailed out until January 1st), that I wanted a refund on my credit card, and do not send it. (I received Departure on 1/9/10, refused it and sent it back to PMG).
I told them that I would not be attending the Foundation Live event in San Francisco in January and I wanted a refund on that. I sent back 10 Know For Yourself DVD’s and 247 Join The Evolution DVD’s that I purchased in LA and received in late October. I asked for a refund on these.
All the responses I received from PMG were the same. Basically, all sales in LA were final and there would be no refunds. They also said the products needed to returned within 10 days of purchase in order to get a refund.
Now, I’m not sure how you can return products within 10 days when they haven’t even been produced yet. Or, when you don’t get them for two-three months after purchase. I sent two emails to Shane Krider, CEO, to ask him to please stand behind the integrity he continually talks about and refund my money from LA. No response.
I have saved all the e-mails between PMG and me and also the ones I sent to Shane Krider. I am so frustrated!! I know I will never recoup the $30,000 that I originally invested, but I would sure like to have the $1800 that I spent in LA and have nothing to show for it.
Oh, and a side note, a few people that I know have gotten a refund on the BFE they purchased in LA. So, I don’t know how they decide who gets a refund and who doesn’t.
Lawsuit?? I’m in!!
I filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General (www.azag.gov). The procedure is that Polaris gets to respond. The response from the legal representative for Polaris, Yolanda Franson was a fabrication.
Evidently she takes orders from her client but does not research her responses. The attorney general’s office sent me the response. I will correspond again with the Arizona office and counter the lies.
FYI, you can file a complaint by logging on to the the website and filling out a fairly simple complaint form. Easy and the more they have to fight those who take action and complain, the better.
There’s more recent info on the whirlpool forum:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1206044&p=142
Love the comment about approx 50 people turning up to the big Kick-Off conferences in San Francisco, when they used to get 1200+! LMAO!!
Apparently the Polaris Media Group film ‘Unbeaten’ is going to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival. Is this true? If so perhaps it’s an opportunity for a bit of publicity raising about the scam.
Here’s the link:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/showbiz/2010/01/22/sundance.day.one.cnn?iref=allsearch
Unbeaten is NOT being featured at Sundance, nor is it in the film competition. They are having a private showing, however, at the disabilities center outside of Park City. Yet another lie by Polaris….
Anonymous – good to see other people are keen to sue. I would DEFINITELY be in a class action. I was in LLI so not sure how much chance I would hav given the name change/new disguise.
Thanks for this info HC, I am going to do that now. Are you in Australia? Not sure what can actually be done for us over here with Arizona Attorney General, but I think I will lodge something with them.
Could you give me an idea of what you wrote??? Cheers.
To HC:
I am going to file a complaint with the AG’s office in Arizona as soon as I get one more piece of documentation.
In the meantime, I just got a “DO NOT REPLY” email from PMG saying that when I returned the Departure back to them it was outside of the timeframe and they couldn’t give me a refund and they are sending it back to me!!
As I stated in my earlier post, I told them in November that I did not want it, don’t send it. When I got it from Fed Ex I refused it and sent it right back with the carrier. These guys are incorrigible!!
I have been out of Liberty League now for nearly 12 months and are still struggling financially and emotionally. My wife and I have managed to keep the bank from knocking down our door but the debts have not gone away. Our quality of life is far worse now than before Liberty League International.
I have not taken any action so far except lodging complaints with The Dept of Fair trading.
I now want some action. I want to reclaim my life and get some of the $50,000 I lost back!
I will be writing to my advisors and asking politely for a refund of my Liberty and Summit tickets.
I was pressured into purchasing Liberty and Summit, Lied to on the conference calls, emotionally boosted every time I wanted to cut my losses.
My advisors (Husband and wife team with 2 kids, rising stars and recent associates of the month)were very clever at what they did and built a huge team, the majority going full boat. Where are their team now, not brave enough or feel too foolish to speak up maybe. Surely some in the team feel the same as I do.
I think legal action/class action against the individual advisor/s would be the way to go as they have an ABN or an ACN here in Australia.
I am sure i will get a Scientology type response.
Carla I am in the US. I just filled out the form on the website (www.azag.gov). There are complaint forms easy to fill out. In the comments section, I simply told them about my investment with LLI and the changeover to PMG. This was a breach of contract as far as I can see as we were promised “an income opportunity for life.” I did not mention any of the pressuring and deception.
The attorney general there surprisingly had no other recent complaints. They were not keen to take this on with only one complaint. They sent the complaint to PMG and the “legal representative” came back with the usual deceptive response.
Getting a refund this way is unlikely, unless there are more complaints. Either way, it is certainly a means to shed light on PMG and keep them from pulling others into this nonsense. Here in the US, the state attorney general responds to complaints and will investigate or can shut down if enough complain.
PMG/LLI is registered as business in the state of Arizona, hence; azag(arizona attorney general) Personally, I think PMG is low on funds….who is buying into this???
Brent could be chased though. He may have gotten away with “taking the money and running”
I lost the money, learned a lot about human nature, but am at peace that I did not bring anybody else into the deception. Really hope this can help.
Thanks for getting back to me HC. Seems AG isn’t interested, even though LLI was taken them to court awhile ago. Wish they shut them down then!
I have posted a response to the above news item with a link to this site. I wonder if it gets published?
Hi All,
I have a friend (ex-partner) who has just started her marketing campaign for PMG. She is in northern NSW (Australia) and I am concerned with her being a Christian of whats she is getting herself involved with.
We are not on speaking terms but I do care for her well being and future and am concerned about her involvement and disillusion with PMG.
Her website is mosaicslifestyle and also on facebook, can someone please who has been previously involved with PMG and LLI please fore warn Kathie of the Scientology base and the truth about PMG.
Can someone please do the right thing here as I unfortunately can not.
Thank you in advance.
I have looked at her Facebook page and her Mosaiclifestyle website. It isn’t easy to identify that website as something belonging to Polaris Global Media. I will need some more information about that part. The business opportunity there is also partly hidden, there’s only vague information there about an affiliate program and a reseller program.
We have 60 articles about Polaris Media Group / Liberty League International. Most of them are from 2009 and 2010.
https://behindmlm.com/category/companies/polaris-media-group/
Only a few of them have been updated with new comments in 2012 and 2013.
To do the reight thing you must first find out what that is. Your friend seems to be EXCITED about the new “life changing” opportunity. It’s difficult to compete against that. She’s also surrounded by new “friends” sharing similar dreams.
A general rule from sale says “People must first WANT IT, knowingly or unknowingly, before you can offer it”. In the current situation, it seems like she want people to confirm her new lifestyle dreams. I can’t compete against that, I don’t offer dreams.
LLI / PGM was a 100% recruitment driven business opportunity based on self development seminars, in the price range $1,495 – $8,995 – $19.995 if I remember it correctly. 100% recruitment driven means 80% of the participants are guaranteed to fail, but in reality between 95% and 98% will lose money.
Self development seminars have some attraction. Its main target was women who wanted to work from home / spend more time with their families / become business women and have success (earn residual income from other people’s work).
People really want to believe in ideas like that, but they don’t work in reality. It operates like a cult, with similar ideas like cults use, e.g. brainwashing methods (motivational training, belief systems). I can’t compete against that, people joining a cult typically WANT it themselves. They’re ATTRACTED to what the cult has to offer.