QLXchange Review: A shady investment group feeder?
For those interested in it, good solid investment advice is infinitely valuable and for many leads to sustainable riches and fortune.
Just as prosperous as good investment advice can be however, the same can be said for bad investment advice. Only the results of this are far more financially devastating.
Good or bad though, you’d have to be a complete moron to take investment advice seriously from someone you knew nothing about right?
Well, that’s kind of exactly what QLXChange want you to do. Read on for a full review of the QLXchange business opportunity.
The Company
Like its feeder program OneX, little is known about QLXchange’s ownership. I’d strongly advise you read my OneX review and pay particular attention to ‘The Company’ section of the review (especially the audio recording where ‘JC’ pretty much tells people he’s got better things to do with his time than deal with members of the company).
As always, I caution people against getting involved in any MLM opportunity that is not upfront about who is running or owns the opportunity.
QLXChange is doubly suspicious in this regard as they are effectively asking you trust their financial advice, whilst at the same time having no idea who they are or what their credentials or possible ulterior motives are.
Update August 16th, 2012 – “JC” has been identified by public prosecutors involved in the Ad Surf Daily Ponzi scheme case as a one Mr. James C. Hill. /end update
The QLXchange Product Line
QLXchange claim they have a core product which is the investment of silver and effectively operates outside of the QLXchange MLM side of the business.
Basically you invest in silver through QLXchange, and if and when you wish to convert your investment into actual silver, the company charges you a variable 2-10% ‘premium fee’ based on your membership rank.
The company also offers a 2-8% discount on the initial investment price depending on a QLXchange member’s membership rank.
There is no option to invest through QLXchange on a retail level as investment is only made available to QLXchange members. You need to join the company in order to purchase (invest in) the product.
QLXchange also offer a weekly ‘educational reports‘ called ‘Investment Insights’ to all paid members of the company. These reports
cover a wide spectrum of investment topics (including) analysis of current market trends, the effects of Geo-political issues on world markets, influence of short/long-term interest rates and the importance of appropriate asset allocation based on individual investor goals/objectives.
Beyond that, QLXchange don’t offer up any more specifics. They don’t even tell you who is behind the investment advice they are giving beyond stating that the company has
a staff member who is an active investor in the International Equity, Fixed Income, Real Estate and Forex markets.
He has over twenty years of experience as a Registered Investment Advisor for several Wall Street firms and recently has been providing advice to large institutional investors.
Essentially QLXchange expect you to be happy taking investment advice from a mystery man.
The QLXchange Compensation Plan
QLXchange’s compensation plan revolves around an initial 3×9 matrix. With you starting at the top, this matrix branches off into three legs, which in turn themselves branch into three legs and so on and so forth down nine levels.
As you begin to fill your QLXchange matrix, it will start to look something like this:
QLXChange Membership Ranks
Within the QLXChange compensation plan are five base membership ranks which dictate how much in commissions QLXchange members earn with the company.
Here are the five membership ranks along with their qualification requirements (note that an ‘active member’ refers to a QLXchange member of at least SG-1 rank).
- SG Cadet is the starting membership rank within QLXChange. A SG Cadet rank is free and carries with it a $1 monthly membership fee.
- SG1 membership is $11 a month
- SG2 membership is $22 a month or $11 + the recruitment of one active member
- SG3 membership is $33 a month or $11 + the recruitment of two active members
- SG4 membership is $44 a month or $11 + the recruitment of three active members
Recruitment Commissions
Everyone who joins QLXchange starts off with this 3×9 matrix and is paid a commission on the monthly subscription fees SG1 and above ranked members pay the company.
The 100% commission rate (SG4) of the four different monthly subscription options are $0.50 ($11 subscription), $1.00 ($22 subscription), $1.50 ($33 subscription) and $2.00 ($44 subscription)
There are five basic levels of membership open to QLXchange members and they each earn a percentage of the above base commission rates.
- SG Cadet members – 10%
- SG1 members – 25%
- SG2 members – 50%
- SG3 members – 75%
- SG4 members – 100%
Leadership Bonuses
All SG4 members are able to expand their matrix by becoming a ‘Star Leader’. For each star level a Star Leader achieves (1-5) they are entitled to another leg on their 3×9 matrix.
This additional leg operates in the same manner as the original three legs in that it conforms to the original 3×9 leg structuring (the top layer branches out into three, which branch out into three etc.)
Star Leaders earn what is called a ‘Leader Bonus’ on these additional legs which is equivalent to the 100% recruitment commission earnt by SG4 members on their original 3×9 matrix.
There are 5 Star Leader ranks and these are their qualifications;
- 1 Star Leader – Have 5 SG4 active members in their matrix
- 2 Star Leader – Have 5 Star Leaders (any star rank) in their matrix
- 3 Star Leader – Have 10 Star Leaders in their matrix
- 4 Star Leader – Have 15 Star Leaders in their matrix
- 5 Star Leader – Have 20 Star Leaders in their matrix
Note that if you drop below your ranked star qualifications, you lose your Leadership Bonus paid out on any additional legs you have for that pay cycle.
Matching Bonus
QLXchange offers two Matching Bonuses to their members.
SG2, SG3 and SG4 members earn a 50% matching bonus for all matrix commissions paid out to members they personally recruit into QLXchange.
SG3 and SG4 members receive an additional 50% matching bonus on all members (personally recruited or not) on the fourth row of their original 3×9 matrix (this row accommodates 81 members).
Joining QLXChange
Everyone who joins QLXchange does so at the SG Cadet level, which costs nothing to signup with but carries a $1 membership fee after 30 days (or if you upgrade before 30 days).
After signing up as a SG Cadet, QLXchange members are free at any time to upgrade their membership to one of the paid SG1 to SG4 options.
Conclusion
The most legally questionable component of the QLXchange MLM opportunity isn’t the fact that the compensation plan is completely disconnected from their core product and is not available at a retail level, it’s not that they expect you to take investment advice without telling you who they are and it’s not even the fact that the compensation plan is just one giant recruitment game.
No, the most legally questionable component of QLXchange is what they hope you’ll do with the money you make from their recruitment scam… and it’s not investing in silver.
Not officially part of the QLXchange compensation plan are what the company calls ‘investment groups’. Stressing that they ‘will not accept a single dollar for investment’ in thee groups as they ‘are not licensed, so it is not legal‘.
QLXchange do reassure you though that they trust these ‘investment groups’ enough though that they themselves ‘will be investing much of our own company profits‘ with the groups.
Membership to these shady groups will set QLXchange members back $100 for each group that they join, but membership isn’t open to everyone.
Introduction to the private investment groups will be by personal invitation only (one-to-one communication).
There will be a strictly enforced non-discloser (sic) agreement and any violation will be cause for immediate removal from the groups.
A personal invitation process and they want you to sign a non-disclosure agreement…? Sounds to me like they’re screening out anyone who might think of reporting them!
Most likely QLXchange themselves have an unofficial hand in the running of these groups as firstly the company stresses that the groups must not be ‘may not be advertised nor used for marketing in any way‘ and secondly QLXchange provides up to 100% off the $100 joining fee to its members (SG4 members can join these groups for free).
Oh and despite clearly advertising these dodgy sounding investment groups on their website, QLXchange assure you that they ‘are not marketing it‘.
Run for the hills folks, QLXchange is one particular MLM opportunity with waaaaay too much dodgy attached to it.
Sounds like a shadier version of GoldQuest, which is ALREADY shady and prosecuted as pyramid scheme.
http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/02/20/multi-crore-gold-quest-scam-case-sc-hearing-february-26
It amazes me to no end that whenever a new Network Marketing Company launches, there are those that try there best to disparage their reputation before they have a chance to develop any public trust.
If you think The OneX/QLxchange opportunity is in anyway a scam, and their intent is to defraud the public then report them to the FTC and any other Government agency that is responsible to protect consumer interest.
Are you suggesting QLXchange aren’t just paying out recruitment commissions that have nothing to do with their product, offering shady investment advice and have no retail products?
If so, on what basis?
I agree with Brian. There’s an old story of an Amway guy who stopped in what was to be hopefully a new client’s driveway with his Porsche (that he paid for with money made through Amway).
Gave the guy the plan in all its glory and splendor but because of former opinions and a already made up mind (a false perception) this person was closed for bussiness, growth or any other form of education.
He sweatly declined saying it doesnt work and that it was a bunch of bullsense and what not. I believe the Amway guy thanked the what was not to be a new client or better yet a new bussiness owner for the coffee, climb back into his Porsche and drove off into the sunset.
Truth be told everything already works in a format much similar to MLM’s. I think this sort of thing got a bad reputation because of people thinking it’s easy money and found that it actually takes a substansial ammount of work and effort.
Now the word on the lips of these lazy failures is it doesnt work, it’s a scam. They forget that anything worth doing and achieving success with takes hard work and a little perseverance.
Even thou they keep you in the dark with some things, there are way more positives than negatives.
Sorry Hendri, what exactly does your fairy tale have to do with running a ponzi scheme that pays out commissions for recruitment of new members again?
paying out commissions on the recruitment of others and not having solid retail is an unsustainable business model.
Amyway has products you can sell at a retail level, comparing it to recruitment scams is a waste of time.
I can see you enjoy this. So you believe it’s a scam then. It’s either that or you like the sound of your own voice. If you truely believe it’s a scam go and stop it. You will be doing allot of people a big favour but up to this point all you have is yaping.
I think you should take your mission further… ??
All you have is an opinion. Not facts.
And please dont repeat yourself. New information.
Shot down?
Please do explain how it is running at the scale that it’s at?
LOL apologies Henrdri – I wasn’t fully concentrating and thought I was in one of the Speak Asia articles.
Regarding your comments and QLXchange, I’ve thoroughly analysed the business model and put it up here for you to see. This isn’t a law enforcement site, it’s an information site.
You don’t challenge any of the information presented here so I assume you’ve got no problems with opportunities that pay on recruitment and have products that have nothing to do with the compensation plan.
This is called a ponzi scheme as although there is a product, it’s got nothing to do with the commission structure of the company.
The above is fact as it stands based on the QLXchange business model and compensation plan. Accept this or by all means please point out what isn’t factual.
And what scale would that be? Given that we don’t even know who is running this scam let alone how many members are in it.
You and I both know that this is’nt the same as a Ponzi scheme.
For it to operate in the manner it currently operates at it had to pass a couple of crucial legal steps.
I think i would have had a problem with this sort of bussiness plan if it was illegal.
You and I both know that if it was illegal it would not have gotten this far out in the open like it has.
How so? You pay membership fees, earn commissions based on how many members you recruit. Meanwhile the product has nothing to do with these commissions and you can’t invest in QLXchange’s silver without becoming a member.
How is it not the same?
Not really, it’s up to the company itself whether it’s legal or not. Just because laws are in place doesn’t mean they are being followed by every company out there.
I suggest you tell me what’s legal about the above accurate description of the QLXchange business then.
Yeah… because it’s not like ponzi schemes ever proliferted now is it. And exactly what’s out in the open? Dunno who the owners are, no idea about their shady investment advice either – and they make you sign a NDA so you can’t even discuss it.
QLXchange is far from out in the open about anything they do.
You know. I am the kind of guy that above my own desires or political opinions or be that as it may, bussiness ventures persue truth. I am a truth seeker. If i was wrong i will apologize and correct my ways. Althou you have interesting opinions it’s still only opinions.
As for the Ponzi. People enter the programme knowing what they enter. That is the crucial difference between the two.
If i lived back in the day and this Ponzi fellow came up to me and asked me to join his vibe with a full on truthful explanation on his bussiness plan, I would not have joined. That is’nt how he operated is it?
He promised investers something that was’nt real. There was no real interest. He had to “STEAL” money from other investers inorder for his idea to work.
I think if any of them knew that they would not have succombed to his Evil but granted ledgendary plan, unless you some how cut a deal with him in some way.
Bussinesses like these are very carefully watched because of the scam likelyhood.
Perhaps we can take this up later again. You are a good debator but i believe that if you ar’nt one hundred percent absolutly positive about the things you discuss, you can’t sell it as truth.
Hendri South Africa
Peace Aussie
@Hendri
In that entire wall of text you failed to address the fact that QLXchange offer commissions solely on recruitment of others, rather then anything to do with their silver product.
That’s not an opinion, it’s fact. On the basis of that fact, QLXchange is a ponzi scheme. Your life story doesn’t factor into that equation.
You’re shitting me right? Your whole argument is ‘people know it’s a ponzi scheme when they join, so therefore it can’t be a ponzi scheme‘.
Jesus Christ.