Air Restore USA Review: Organic air technology?
Air Restore USA launched in 2013 and are based out of Minnesota in the US.
The company operates in the air purification MLM niche and is headed up by CEO, Bill Converse.
As per Converse’s Air Restore USA corporate bio;
William Converse launched Alpine Industries in the 1980s, which grew to $187 million in 1987.
Converse became a pioneer for non-filter air cleaning technologies. The demand for his expertise grew quickly as Converse became a sought-after consultant in the air quality industry.
Converse retired in 2002 but he couldn’t turn off his drive to invent.
He returned to the air purification industry with his release of Air Naturalization Technology when he launched Air Restore USA Inc. in 2013.
In 1995 the FTC issued a cease and desist to Alpine Industries. The regulator claimed the company failed
to have “competent and reliable scientific evidence” to support hundreds of claims for their products.
Alpine was also found to make unsupported claims that its products control indoor ozone levels.
In 1999 the FTC won an injunction against Alpine Industries and Converse, after it convinced a judge they were still making unsubstantiated claims.
The injunction orders Alpine and Converse to notify their thousands of dealers that they cannot make any of these claims.
“What’s particularly unconscionable is that the company used unsupported health-benefit claims to tout an expensive product to consumers in clear violation of an FTC order,” said Jodie Bernstein, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“This case violates the basic laws of advertising. If a business makes a claim about a product or service, it had better have evidence to support the claim.”
In April 2001 a Judge ruled against Alpine Industries, ordering them to pay a $1.4 million dollar fine.
The judgement also saw Alpine Industries and Converse (right) prohibited from claiming
in any form or by any means, express or implied, that any Alpine product can eliminate, remove, clear or clean from indoor air any pollutant, contaminant, microorganism (including bacteria, viruses, molds and mildew), chemical or particulate, or any specific quantity or amount of any of the foregoing.
(Alpine Industries and Bill Converse) shall make no claims or representations in any form or by any means, expressly or impliedly, that Alpine’s products prevent or provide, or may prevent or provide, relief from any health or medical condition of any kind.
Sounds to me like Converse didn’t so much as retire in 2002… more like he was put out of business by the FTC.
After the FTC action against Alpine Industries was initiated, Converse sold the company to his former partner Michael Jackson (not that Jackson). Jackson eventually rebranded the entire company Ecoquest International.
After having experienced several years of explosive growth, Ecoquest fell on hard times and eventually had to file bankruptcy in 2009.
The company was sold to a large creditor, and its operations were subsequently moved to Bristol and merged into another company.
In 2004 Converse launched Alpine Technology, through which he worked with Chinese researchers to “make products here (in the US) to sell in China”.
One of those products was
a purifying system to clean swimming pools without chlorine.
The new product, called Natural Clear Saltwater Purifier, uses salt rather than chlorine to purify a swimming pool’s water.
Converse said the new product can do that job just as effectively as chlorine, but without any irritation to the eyes such as chlorine can cause.
Alpine Technologies appears to have eventually died out, with Converse again going into retirement.
In a 2014 interview with The Greenville Sun, Converse spoke about
what he has been doing for the last few years and about his plans to establish a new manufacturing operation in this community within the next several months.
Alpine Industries’ key product was air and water purifiers for residences, and Converse explained that he is continuing to focus his attention on consumer-level environmental products — in particular, air purifiers.
But he emphasized that in the last few years he has developed an entirely different, and much more effective, air purification product using “cutting-edge technology” and a concept that he said goes well beyond the approach he used some 30 years ago in establishing Alpine Industries.
The new company’s name is Air Restore USA. He is president and a co-owner, he said.
Read on for a full review of the Air Restore USA MLM business opportunity.
The Air Restore USA Product Line
Air Restore USA market what they refer to as “air naturalizer systems”, of Bill Converse is credited as the “inventor” of.
Traditional air purifiers passively rely on the air passing through their filters, only reacting to the problems within it’s reach.
Organic Air Technology is a proactive process that produces energized elements to tackle odors, germs, bacteria, dander, viruses, dust and air pollutants throughout the room.
The entire process is natural and works without filters, chemicals or perfumes!
Air Restore USA claim their units
- can remove “urine & other accidents” from fabrics
- can provide healthy air for babies
- are helpful for Senior Living
- battle Asthma triggers
- virtually eliminate allergens
- clean air with humidifiers
- provide “all-day odor control”
- provide virus, flu, mold & mildew control
The following Air Restore USA units are provided on the Air Restore USA website:
Whole Home Systems
- Traditional Pack – 2 corded units, 2 wall units
- Convenience Pack – 1 corded unit, 3 wall units
- Flexibility Pack – 3 corded units, 1 wall unit
- Wall Pack – 4 wall units
Studio Systems
- Traditional Pack – 1 corded unit and 1 wall unit
- Wall Pack – 2 wall units
- Corded Pack – 2 corded units
A car adaptor, vehicle mount and travel accessory kit are also listed.
Note that the Air Restore USA website contains no retail pricing for any of their products.
The Air Restore USA compensation plan however reveals that the standard retail cost for one corded unit is $370.
The Air Restore USA Compensation Plan
The Air Restore USA compensation plan pays affiliates to sell Air Restore USA products to retail customers. They are also paid to recruit new Air Restore affiliates.
Residual commissions are paid out via a unilevel compensation structure, although commission percentages are not calculated via a traditional method.
MLM Commission Qualification
In order to qualify for MLM commissions, Air Restore USA advise
at all levels of the compensation plan, the only requirement to receive a bonus check is maintaining the Autoship status of one Family Pack per month.
There’s no mention of “Family Packs” on the Air Restore USA website or in their compensation plan documentation.
I did find one Air Restore USA presentation that refers to an “AR-4 Whole Home Family Pack” for $370 retail. I’m assuming this what “Family Pack” above is refers to.
A Dealer of any rank who discontinues their Autoship will be placed on RESERVE STATUS until such time as they go back on Autoship.
Note that Reserve Status Air Restore USA affiliates do not earn MLM commissions.
Air Restore USA Affiliate Ranks
There are five ranks in the Air Restore USA compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Dealer – purchase an enrollment pack and have a downline generating at least 140 GV a month
- Senior Dealer – have a downline generating at least 560 GV a month
- Master Dealer – have a downline generating at least 1120 GV a month
- Distributor – have a downline generate at least 2380 GV for two consecutive months, achieve R3 Status for at least one of those months and have at least ten recruited affiliates in your downline
- Sales Manager – have a downline generate at least 10,000 GV for two out of three consecutive months (no more than 5000 GV from any one unilevel leg), achieve R3 Status for at least one of the three months, have at least 40 recruited affiliates in your downline (no more than 20 from any one unilevel leg) and complete “2 Sales Manager training sessions after the end of the last month of qualification”
Alternatively, a prospective Air Restore USA affiliate can also purchase Senior Dealer or higher ranks:
- Senior Dealer – purchase a Senior Dealer Kit ($565-$1110)
- Master Dealer – purchase a Master Dealer Kit ($2020)
- Distributor – purchase a Fast Start Kit ($7990) and within 30 days build a downline of at least ten affiliates, achieve R3 status and generate 4760 GV
- Sales Manager – purchase a Fast Start Kit ($7990) and within 30 days complete two Sales Manager training sessions, build a downline of at least forty affiliate, achieve R3 Status and generate 20,000 GV
GV stands for “Group Volume” and is sales volume generated by an affiliate’s downline (recruited affiliates).
R3 Status qualification requires an Air Restore USA affiliate to recruit 3 new affiliates in a month, each of whom purchase an enrollment kit.
When an Air Restore affiliate qualifies for R3 Status, for the month they’ve qualified in they receive 1 silver and 1 gold point.
Silver points can be used towards affiliate rank promotion up to Sales Manager. Gold points can be put towards any rank.
The corresponding GV values and the points they equate are as follows:
- 140 GV (Dealer) = 1 point
- 560 GV (Senior Dealer = 4 points
- 1120 GV (Master Dealer) = 8 points
- 2380 GV (Distributor) = 17 points (2 months required, so 34 points in total)
- 10,000 GV (Sales Manager) = 72 points (2 months required, so 144 points in total)
Retail Commissions
When Air Restore USA affiliates sell Air Restore USA products to retail customers, a variable retail commission is paid out.
How much of a retail commission percentage is paid out is determined by an Air Restore USA affiliate’s rank:
- Dealer – $130
- Senior Dealer – $138.50
- Master Dealer – $147
- Distributor – $160.50
- Sales Manager – $188.50
Recruitment Commissions
When an Air Restore USA affiliate recruits a new affiliate, they are paid a $130 commission.
Residual Commissions
Residual commissions in Air Restore are paid out via a unilevel compensation structure.
A unilevel compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a unilevel team, with every personally recruited affiliate placed directly under them (level 1):
If any level 1 affiliates go on to recruit new affiliates of their own, they are placed on level 2 of the original affiliate’s unilevel team.
If any level 2 affiliates recruit new affiliates, they are placed on level 3 and so on and so forth down a theoretical infinite number of levels.
Commissions are paid out as a percentage of sales volume generated in the unilevel team, with affiliate ranks determining how much of a percentage is paid out:
- Dealer – no MLM commissions
- Senior Dealer – earns 6% on each unilevel leg
- Master Dealer – earns 12% on Dealer unilevel legs and 6% on Senior Dealer legs
- Distributor – earns 22% on Dealer unilevel legs, 16% on Senior Dealer legs and 10% on Master Dealer legs
- Sales Manager – earns 42% on Dealer unilevel legs, 36% on Senior Dealer legs, and 20% on Distributor legs
Note that a Dealer unilevel leg occurs when an affiliate recruits a new affiliate at the Dealer rank. All affiliates under the Dealer affiliate in that unilevel leg constitute a “Dealer unilevel leg”.
If that affiliate was promoted to a Senior Dealer, the unilevel leg would become a “Senior Dealer unilevel leg”.
The mechanics of the percentage payouts are a bit fuzzy (no explanation is provided by Air Restore USA), however it appears to be a flat percentage paid out down the length of each leg.
If the affiliate at the top of the leg reaches the rank of the affiliate at the top of the unilevel team a 14% override is paid out. The immediate upline earns a 6% override.
Senior Manager Overrides
At the Senior Manager rank, a percentage override is paid out on sales volume generated by personally recruited affiliates also at the Senior Manager rank.
- 1st Senior Manager in a unilevel leg = 8% override
- 2nd Senior Manager = 4% override
- 3rd Senior Manager = 2%
- 4th Senior Manager = 1%
- 5th Senior Manager = 0.5%
- 6th and 7th Senior Managers = 0.25%
Joining Air Restore USA
Basic affiliate membership with Air Restore USA is $399.
Alternatively, Air Restore USA affiliates can sign up by purchasing one of the following enrollment kits:
- 2-Pay Senior Dealer Enrollment Kit – $565
- Senior Dealer Enrollment Kit – $1110
- Master Dealer Enrollment Kit -$2020
- Fast Start Enrollment Kit – $7990
The primary difference between the above kits is the purchase of affiliate rank, which in turn impacts income potential through the Air Restore USA compensation plan.
Conclusion
Air Naturalizers and Organic Air Technology isn’t just about cleaning the air.
It’s about the effects we experience by breathing fresh, organic air. It is about the long term benefits everyone can experience by breathing organically.
As per the FTC injunction granted against him,
The jury returned a verdict after a 13-day trial and six days of deliberations. It determined that Alpine and Converse claimed that Alpine products would prevent or provide relief from various health or medical conditions, including allergies, asthma, sinus and breathing problems, emphysema, lupus, migraine headaches and an unspecified incurable eye disease.
The jury determined that these claims lacked competent and reliable scientific support.
The 2001 order further stipulated that should Converse
assert that they have newly-acquired scientific evidence and that the injunction should be modified or lifted, (Converse) shall first present such scientific evidence to the Federal Trade Commission.
So, with Converse claiming he’s come up with some new “cutting-edge technology”, one wonders whether or not he approached the FTC about modification to the injunction.
Call me cynical, but most of the claims about Air Restore USA’s products are pretty much the same as those made about Alpine Industries’.
How different Air Restore USA’s purifiers are to Alpine Industries’ I can’t say, but surely a new coat of paint doesn’t negate an FTC injunction?
Unless I’m missing something, I also observed that there’s no “scientific evidence” provided on the Air Restore USA backing up any of the presented claims.
On the surface it would appear Air Restore USA is an FTC lawsuit waiting to happen…
Compensation plan wise red flags immediately go up with commissions paid out on affiliate recruitment.
There’s no retail required in Air Restore USA, with affiliates earning $130 per affiliate recruited and able to earn on their monthly autoship volume.
Speaking of which, the requirement that Air Restore USA affiliates be on autoship to earn MLM commissions, is clearly pay to play.
And $7990 for 35 air filter units? There’s no way known an affiliate would need that much product, with the Fast Start Enrollment Kit openly lending itself to inventory loading.
Pay to play also rears its head with the purchase of affiliate ranks. Spending more on a kit buys you a higher rank, which in turn pays you higher commission percentages.
In MLM commission rates and qualification should always be determined by an affiliate’s sales performance, not how much they spent to join the company.
The lack of retail pricing on the Air Restore USA website is also a problem.
Putting all of this together, you have a questionable product with an even more questionable compensation plan.
Still if you’re willing to take a chance and ignore the inherent red flags with Air Restore USA, might I suggest you at least ask your potential upline for proof of retail sales.
As per the Air Restore USA affiliate policies and procedures;
All Dealers must provide their retail Customers with the appropriate receipt documentation in accordance with their local laws.
Dealers must maintain all retail sales receipts for a period of two years and furnish them to the Company at the Company’s request.
Records documenting the direct purchases from the company by Dealer’s Customers will be maintained by the Company.
Air Restore USA affiliates are required to purchase at least one purifier unit per month to qualify for commissions.
The idea appears to be that they’ll then sell the unit to a retail customer. Leave alone the fact that this is not a retail sales within the context of MLM, a retail receipt for each and every unit sold should be on hand.
Ask to see it, with any excuses or outright failure to produce the receipts a sign that retail sales in Air Restore USA are probably not happening.
What you’re left with is chain-recruitment, which is something you want to be approaching with extreme caution.
Dear Sir:
Thanks for all these information. I am a client and a dealer. I have let people sample the product without telling them anything- indeed cuts the allergen, reduces to zero ODORS, relieves stuffiness upon waking up, really energizes the body like you slept the whole night, the odors of FISH-vinegar-feces (dogs) gone. People have wished they had the whole system for their house. I BOLDY say YES to the product!
Regarding dealer commissions- at any level…autoship you are saying is wrong.
How can it be wrong? I directly quoted the Air Restore compensation plan.
As you did not provide the “correct” explanation, you are not debating. You’re simply denying like a 5 year old:
A: Blah blah blah
B: You are wrong
A: Why?
B: You are wrong.
You are B, in case it’s not obvious yet.
Thanks for the info. The system has four units and is $370. So each unit is 92.50 whuch is effective and affordable.
No health claims are made when shared with friends or family. I do share that i feel better.
The AirRestore website does not have a retail price as all sales go through authorized dealers, not the company itself.
There is no longer any auto-ship or monthly purchase requirement.
You are claiming 35 units sell for $7990. Actually 35 Whole Home Systems, consisting of 4 units in each system, sell for $7990. This makes it better for dealers who want to retail the product. You are deceiving, whether accidental or intended.
AirRestore technology IS different from the Alpine technology.
The company forbids anyone to make definitive claims about the product’s ability. Those dealers who do make unfounded claims are in jeopardy of losing their dealership.
What does that have to do with putting retail prices on the the Air Restore website?
Full disclosure about how much your products cost isn’t the same as a company directly selling the products. In MLM there’s no excuse for full retail pricing disclosure.
They’re still sold as “systems” for a house. The price is accurate, so there’s nothing to be deceptive about.
Seeing as Air Restore hide their compensation plan from the general public, care to provide a source?
One thing I did notice on the Air Restore website is a new option to “finance” signing up as an affiliate and the purchase of “enrollment products”.
Oh dear…
As far as the FTC reference, not all things can be proven by scientific evidence. How can you prove that someone’s headaches have become less frequent and less severe? Or that someone is sleeping better? Or doesn’t have to use their inhaler as often?
There are so many inaccurate statements in this article.You are totally incorrect about commissions and auto ship. There are NO auto ship requirements PERIOD. You are required to be an active dealer (affiliate) to receive commissions. Basic MLM requirement in ANY MLM company.
Your representation of ranks again refers to auto ship. Again, not true. You only have the rank of Senior Dealer and Master Dealer correct. The other three you have listed have multiple inaccuracies.
Purchasing ranks, ALL are incorrect. You did not even get the volume (GV as you put it) correct.
Reference to gold and silver points, incorrect.
Point values in regards to GPV are not correct.
Retail commissions determined by rank, incorrect.
You state “retail commission percentage” yet you wrote dollar amounts, which again are not correct.Yes commissions can be confusing but not too difficult to understand and actually more lucrative than any other MLM plan.
You state there is no explanation on the company website, yes there is, you just didn’t find it.
Joining AirRestore. Your enrollment pricing is incorrect and it also contradicts your previous statement from the “affiliate ranks” comment.
Your “red flag” comment about the compensation plan and commissions is mostly due to the fact that you contradict yourself with inaccurate statements and numbers which causes you to make the statement “clearly pay to play”.
Every “affiliate” within AirRestore has the ability to produce documents to prove retails sales and recruitment if asked. We have NOTHING to hide.
In conclusion; Bill Converse and AirRestore are based on Faith and integrity. It is a shame that someone can write negative articles with very few accurate statements to make a company look bad when that same company has helped so many people.
I guess when someone is doing something to help people with good intentions there will always be someone like you to try and discredit them.
@Lori
The date of this review is clearly visible. If Air Restore has addressed criticism in this review, that’s fine.
But don’t come on here and pretend it was like that all along. That’s disingenuous.
I see Air Restore are still hiding their compensation plan from the general public.
That said, at the time this review was based on their compensation plan. I can’t recall specifically how I tracked it down but I got a hold of the then compensation plan nonetheless.
The commission autoship requirements are quoted directly from the Air Restore compensation plan (anything in green is quoted directly from Air Restore’s own documentation).
You’re welcome to provide a current copy of Air Restore’s compensation plan, otherwise all your claims about the compensation plan are baseless.
Nope. Same prices quoted.
Shame your company does though. All potential affiliates get is a sign up page demanding money with absolutely no explanation of the Air Restore’s business model.
Air Restore products treat headaches now do they? That’s a new one… didn’t see it in any marketing material back in March.
Has Air Restore gotten FDA approval to be making such claims?
I’m sure the FDA can help you out with these questions. Have you got in contact, or are you just running around the internet making unverified medical claims about Air Restore’s products?
Faith is irrelevant in business. And integrity? Yeah, Converese’s regulatory history clearly suggests otherwise.
Did a bit of research and I believe this is the official Air Restore documentation this review is based on:
96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.cf2.rackcdn.com/airrestore/pdfs/6-01_A-R_Policies_and_Procedures.pdf
Everything in this review compensation plan wise is verifiable in that document.
If you can provide me with update official compensation plan documentation (if it exists), I’m more than happy to publish an updated review. Otherwise I can only assume you’re full of crap.
(Ozedit: Derail nonsense removed. Please provide an updated copy of Air Restore’s compensation plan to back up your claims.)
^^ For the record Lori tried to publish a ton of hostile waffle, instead of just providing a copy of Air Restore’s compensation plan.
The plan linked above (comment #10), to the best of my knowledge, is Air Restore’s current compensation plan.
Sir,
I was an Alpine Industries associate in the early days with at least ten dealers below me.
I got into the business because my 18 month old stepdaughter had allergies to the point of which her mother was giving her cough medicine every night so she could sleep.
A friend brought over an XL-15 unit for us to try and the child stopped coughing and began sleeping through the night from the first night.
As a dealer I had customers who had asthma and allergies including one elderly lady in her 70s who who smoked for years who actually came off of her oxygen due to using the machines.
In fact it such an exciting experience for me that I paid for her machine myself. However, these are stories we could only share in company meetings and not with the public.
I was hooked on this technology after trying it for just a week. I became a dealer which added substantially to my income.
Problems with the company ensued when greedy sales people began using statements against company policy. This along with ties in the FTC by competitor organizations is what ultimately caused the downfall of the company.
Bill Converse is an honest person and I never found any reason not to trust him.
I want to thank you for giving me the information to get in touch with someone to purchase a new unit for my current wife who has severe asthma. She struggles each day to breathe and has since she was born.
To all of the folks selling the units I applaud you for sticking to your beliefs and not allowing big brother to get in the way of making folks lives better. Good luck to you all.
I was and Ecoquest dealer in the 90’s sold over 400 Freshair units by letting the people try the unit for 4 days free. They were expensive but they worked.
The fact that the economy went south and the Ecoquest Company went off shore for there Fresh Air machines to be made and quality control went down the drain.
I became a and Air Restore dealer THE Product does not WORK. I tested at funeral parlors, auto dealers, with realors and in private homes. I am stuck with a 4 pack.
I have been a user and dealer of these products since 1996 with Alpine followed by Ecoquest and now Vollara.
I maintain FreshAir, Living Water and Laundry Pure units in my home and visitors always comment on the fresh smell when entering.
My daughters each have FreshAir units and one has a friend who both she and her toddler daughter have asthma which subsides whenever they visit her and have asked how to get a machine.
Anyone interested in trying a machine without charge for 3-4 days can determine without any sales pressure, if the machine works for them or not.
This “try before you buy” method is the only viable evidence necessary to determine if it is worth purchase. If so, there are options available for finance if needed.
Vollara is a reputable company and permits no claims by dealers regarding anything beyond the facts as they are printed and allows no misrepresentations of income.
I only state what I know to be true through over 21 years of use of the products. I have witnessed the benefits to people who have stated ” I can breathe for the first time in my life” directly quoted from a severe asthmatic.
What other proof is required?
About 20 years ago, somewhere around 1998, my neighbor across the street had an Alpine Air Purifier in the living room and said that her son with asthma slept a lot better.
A few days later I walked into my friends pet supply store through the back door where all the fish and turtles and snakes were in glass tanks.
It always smells like a swamp. But that day, it was so clean of a smell that I asked him what happened to all the fish. He said I still have them, I just bought one of those pointing to an Alpine air purifier position above the back door.
By the time I finally had enough money to join Alpine, they went out of business. Since then, the internet is flooded with warnings about ozone-destroying your lungs and your health.
I am a cat rescuer since 1981 and have constantly looked for an air cleaner that would prevent my neighbors from Smelling a stench oozing out of my front door and windows and having me thrown out if I were to move into an apartment with 30 cats.
If you keep 30 cats in someone else’s apartment then an overpriced air freshener sold by a pyramid scheme isn’t going to stop the landlord throwing you out for making their flat stink of cat piss.
Then charging you for an industrial deep clean. You loon.
I heard there was a recall and replace underway – Can I send my house system?
Probably something you’re gonna want to contact Air Restore directly about.