B-Epic Review: Mandatory affiliate orders and recruitment commissions
B-Epic went into prelaunch in late 2016 and was reviewed here on BehindMLM on October 23rd.
At the time of pre-launch B-Epic was headed up by CEO and President, Eric Caprarese.
Update 6th April 2022 – Eric Caprarese still cites himself as CEO and President of B-Epic on his LinkedIn profile.
Today however there is no mention of Caprarese on B-Epic’s website. Instead Dan Putnam is credited as B-Epic’s founder and CEO.
Putnam (right) appears to now also be crediting his parents, Lynn and Richard Putnam, as part of B-Epic’s co-founders. Putnam’s parents hold the positions COO and CFO at B-Epic respectively.
In June 2020 the SEC sued Dan Putnam for securities fraud. The regulator alleged Putnam and his partners defrauded consumers out of $12 million through various scams.
Specific Ponzi schemes linked to Putnam (right) by the SEC include Modern Money Team, Eyeline Trading and its WealthBoss reboot.
In July 2020 Putnam’s assets were frozen. The SEC’s case against him is still playing out.
The impact Putnam’s asset freeze has on B-Epic’s day-to-day operations is unclear. /end update
On the business model side of things B-Epic was pretty similar to Caprarese’s last gig, Brain Abundance.
One disappointing aspect of Brain Abundance to carry over was a lack of retail focus.
Recently a reader wrote in and asked us to take a second look at the company.
Seeing as a year and a half has passed and our original review was based on their prelaunch, today we’re revisiting B-Epic for an updated review.
B-Epic Products
B-Epic went into pre-launch with an “ultimate performance capsule” flagship product.
That product now has a name, Elev8, and is marketed as an alternative to energy drinks.
The last thing you need is more caffeine and sugar.
Energy drinks typically combine extremely high doses of sugar and caffeine with other chemicals that inevitably lead to a crash, brain fog, and fatigue not to mention a host of other problems.
That’s why at B-Epic we created ELEV8 – an advanced energy and recovery product that combines modern extract technology with ancient medicinal ingredients to support your ability to perform at a very high level.
Since pre-launch B-Epic have added a second product, Acceler8.
Do you – or someone you know – want or need to lose weight? Now it may become a reality!
ACCELER8 is an advanced, all-natural weight-loss and sleep supplement that may naturally restore balance to the body and decreases stress (which causes weight gain) – It may lead to a better night’s sleep and promote weight loss.
B-Epic do not provide retail pricing for either product on their website.
B-Epic’s product pages have a “buy now” button, which requires a country selection and then details of a referring affiliate.
I Googled for a referral code and when I entered in was provided wholesale pricing.
- Elev8 Sample Pack (10 capsules) – $24.95
- Elev8 Single Pack (30 capsules) – $49.95
- Elev8 Leader Pack (70 capsules) – $89.95
- Acceler8 (one box, 60 capsules) – $59.95
- Acceler8 Leaders Pack (2 boxes of 60 capsules) – $99.95
- Epic Pack One (1 box of both Elev8 and Acceler8) – $89.95
I know this wasn’t retail pricing because when the page that asked for my billing information, I was automatically designated an affiliate:
Account Type: Independent Distributor
I was unable to change my account type and I was also provided a replicated URL.
A retail customer has no need for a replicated URL, it is used by affiliates to generate referral commissions.
As such it doesn’t appear B-Epic’s products are available at a retail level.
Update 8th May 2018 – A B-Epic affiliate has advised the company maintains two separate websites for each of their products.
If visitors place an order on one of these websites they are designated “preferred customer” when redirected back to the B-Epic website.
Preferred customers must sign up for monthly autoship but they are retail customers nonetheless.
This appears to be the sole retail option available within B-Epic. /end update
The B-Epic Compensation Plan
B-Epic’s compensation plan pays recruitment commissions both direct and residually.
Sales volume is generated by mandatory monthly affiliate product orders.
B-Epic Affiliate Ranks
There are six affiliate ranks within the B-Epic compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows;
- Brand Partner – maintain a monthly product order and recruit at least one other Brand Partner
- Qualified Brand Partner – maintain a monthly product order and recruit at least two Brand Partners (one placed on either side of the binary team)
- Silver Qualified – spend at least $89.95 a month on products and generate at least 1000 points of weekly sales volume on your weaker binary side
- Gold Qualified – continue to spend at least $89.95 a month on products and generate at least 2500 points of weekly sales volume on your weaker binary side
- Platinum Qualified – continue to spend at least $89.95 a month on products and generate at least 5000 points of weekly sales volume on your weaker binary side
- Diamond Qualified –
- continue to spend at least $89.95 a month on products and generate at least 7500 points of weekly sales volume on your weaker binary side
Retail Commissions (??)
Despite not appearing to be available to retail customers, B-Epic claim to pay a 50% commission on sales volume generated by retail customer orders.
Recruitment Commissions
B-Epic pay a 50% commission on the first mandatory product purchase by personally recruited affiliates.
Residual Commissions
B-Epic pay residual commissions via a binary compensation structure.
A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):
The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).
Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.
Each B-Epic product has a corresponding point value.
For example, a Single Pack of Elev8 or Acceler8 generates 50 points.
Points are generated across the binary team when recruited affiliates (and retail customers?) purchase B-Epic products.
At the end of each week B-Epic tally up generated sales volume on both sides of the binary team.
Affiliates are paid an “up to” 20% residual commission on sales volume generated by their weaker binary team side.
Note to qualify for residual binary commissions, a B-Epic affiliate must have a standing monthly product order and recruit at least two affiliates (one placed on either side of the binary team).
Matching Bonus
B-Epic pay a 10% matching bonus on residual commissions, tracked down four generations in a unilevel team.
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 recruit new affiliates, 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.
A generation in a unilevel team leg is defined when a Silver or higher ranked affiliate is found in that leg.
This caps off the first generation for that leg, with the second beginning immediately after.
If no other Silver or higher ranked affiliates exist in that leg, the second generation extends the full depth of that leg.
Using this generational calculation, a B-Epic affiliate is able to earn the Matching Bonus on up to four generations per unilevel leg.
Note that generations for each unilevel leg are calculated independently from the rest.
Car Bonus
B-Epic pay qualified affiliates a $500 a month Car Bonus.
To qualify for the Car Bonus a B-Epic affiliate must
- purchase at least $89.95 worth of product each month
- recruit four affiliates who also purchase $89.95 a month worth of products and
- have at least four recruited affiliates who have also recruited four affiliates who each purchase $89.95 a month worth of products
Global Bonus Pool
Diamond and higher ranked B-Epic affiliates receive a share in 2% of B-Epic’s company-wide sales volume.
Joining B-Epic
B-Epic affiliate membership is tied to a mandatory product order.
Conclusion
When we published our B-Epic prelaunch review, Eric Caprarese stopped by to reassure readers
You will see my companies are customer based first and so will B-Epic.
By virtue of mandatory product orders, B-Epic no doubt has plenty of customers.
What an MLM company needs however is a solid retail customer-base, and nothing in B-Epic is geared towards that.
The only way to purchase B-Epic products is to sign up as an affiliate.
Sure, you don’t qualify for commissions off the bat – but you’re an “independent distributor” with a replicated sales page nonetheless.
Vemma and Herbalife both tried to argue affiliates who don’t qualify for commissions are retail customers.
Both companies wound up settling their respective pyramid fraud cases with the FTC.
B-Epic combines “pay to play” with recruitment commissions, practically guaranteeing the majority of company revenue will be sourced from affiliate orders.
Not a problem with healthy retail, but seeing as retail is impossible… a moot point.
Since 2016 B-Epic’s retail focus has gotten worse, to the point where it’s not even possible.
Update 8th May 2018 – A B-Epic affiliate has advised the company maintains two separate websites for each of their products.
If visitors place an order on one of these websites they are designated “preferred customer” when redirected back to the B-Epic website.
Preferred customers must sign up for monthly autoship but they are retail customers nonetheless.
Both of B-Epic’s retail product websites have little to no traffic compared to their primary company website.
This strongly suggests that the vast majority of interest (and products orders) is from B-Epic affiliates as opposed to retail customers. /end update
What you’re left with is a product-based pyramid scheme, one of my primary concerns in our original pre-launch review.
As with all such schemes, once affiliate recruitment dies down those at the bottom stop paying their monthly fees (a mandatory product order in this case).
This sees those above them stop getting paid, which slowly trickles up the company-wide binary team.
Eventually enough affiliates cancel their orders such that an irreversible collapse is triggered.
I’ll leave you with one final thought, which was probably the first thing that struck me as odd when I began my B-Epic research.
If we take a look at Alexa’s estimates for the B-Epic website, we learn that Russia and Kazakhstan currently make up over 60% of traffic to the B-Epic website.
Not that people in Russia and Kazakhstan don’t need energy or help losing weight, but the MLM community in those two countries is typically attracted to a certain type of business model.
B-Epic don’t appear to make any concerted effort to target Russia or Kazakhstan, so make of that what you will.
Update 6th April 2022 – A reader reached out regarding a new B-Epic marketing video featuring Dan Putnam.
The video is for “B-Eco Fuel Tabs”, a product B-Epic announced back in January.
Not really worth a new review but I did edit this review to note Eric Caprarese is out and Dan Putnam is now credited as B-Epic’s founder and CEO.
I also noted Putnam’s ongoing fraud case with the SEC. At the time of this update that case is still playing out.
Update 7th June 2022 – BehindMLM has published a standalone B-Eco review.
2. Amazing retail websites! 1 for each Epic Product ! (Ozedit: affiliate links removed).
Full retail website both products pay 50%. Fast starts. Over and. Over. 3.3. Million in sales last month. Going incredible. Thanks.
Heading to Australia today 12 Days. Life is amazing gotta live it Epic Style.
Would you please update your report? I received a screenshot showing that you were given our two retail website URL’s as proof that we do focus on retail. At this point your report is inaccurate.
Thank you for being professional and accurate with your review.
Eric Caprarese
B-Epic, Inc.
President & CEO
You’ll have to forgive me, I’m a bit under the weather so I slept in today.
I confirmed those two separate websites do allow someone to purchase products as a preferred customer.
Preferred customers have to sign up for autoship though, can you confirm this is the only option available to retail customers in B-Epic?
And why is it though when I try to purchase a product from the actual B-Epic website I’m automatically designated an “independent distributor”?
Also here’s some food for thought:
-B-Epic website Alexa rank: 98,964 (cannot directly buy retail from this site)
-separate Elev8 retail site Alexa rank: 1.2 million
-separate Acceler8 retail site Alexa rank: 17.2 million
Still going to assert retail is a focus in B-Epic?
Retail in MLM isn’t as simple as setting up separate websites and pointing at them as evidence of retail sales. Your affiliates actually have to be making retail sales.
The B-Epic compensation plan doesn’t have a retail focus, so it’s hardly surprising B-Epic’s separate retail websites have little to no traffic.
And I won’t embarrass you by asking for hard figures, but we both know this is reflected in revenue entering B-Epic being primarily sourced from affiliate orders.
Speaking of which, no comment on pay to play? You know that’s just as much a regulatory red flag as recruitment over retail.
Oz, the retail side for elev8 is not the same as the retail side of acceler8.
For elev8 you can order without setting up a “free” affiliate link. For acceler8 you have to set up a “free” affiliate link.
When you do this the distributor cannot continue to get 50% over and over again from sales.
Now that the person buying has set up a free distributor account the main distributor only gets 50% one time, not over and over again.
I believe it was done on purpose for acceler8, so the company doesn’t have to pay out 50% of sales to its distributors.
So acceler8 is not available to retail customers?
Oz, email me so I can send you some info, screenshots.
Contact button is on the top right of every page.
Ever since the FDA stopped by the Elepreneur’s headquarters and told them to change some ingredients, I’ve noticed a bunch of reps suddenly ditching Elepreneurs for this B-Epic company.
Another too-good-to-be-true MLM with a sketchy comp plan that won’t last.
I’m in a testimony group for this MLM and I’m honestly worried about what is in these supplements that is making people lose weight at an alarming rate.
What’s it doing to your heart, blood pressure, kidneys? Worrisome.
I’m hoping this MLM gets enough attention that the FDA or FTC shuts them down.
Casey, the ingredient list is available on the website … which funnily enough is easy to sign up as a preferred customer with no required autoship…
I think this review may need another update!
You can’t be a preferred customer without autoship.
The issue raised in the review was firstly why even have separate retail sites? And second that B-Epic’s retail websites had no traffic compared to their affiliate opportunity website.
Affiliates on autoship != retail customers.
I recently signed up and you definitely can be a preferred customer without auto ship.
I don’t think preferred customer in MLM means what you think it means.
The term “preferred customer” is the class title of retail customers on autoship paying wholesale pricing. It’s never meant anything else.
An update is urgently needed here! It is not an autoship obligation for customers! Everyone can even test the site as a sales partner for free for 30 days!
Starting as a distributor is possible from $ 20. Every customer and sales partner can test the products for 30 days and get their money back if the product does not work.
It has now been approved in the EU, so the recipe has been changed a little, as the European Commission allows.
What about affiliates? Having an alternative free sign up option doesn’t mean everything if affiliates are required to purchase after 30 days.
As for the EU, there is no regulatory body that approves MLM compensation plans.
I was a affiliate. Had 101 preferred customers. Only 20% if customers were seeing results. So I asked if they had a problem with me marketing another company on a different platform.
They said yes I could. As soon as I did I was terminated. I have screen shots to prove this.
Also when they came out with the app we would earn $5 off those that got samples. But then would not receive compensation for the full product. However we did the work.
Another thing is LOTS of recruiting going on. Then the rep makes there monthly product order and NEVER markets the products. Just earns off their down line.
Ton of things being published in The Revolution group and Bepic customer group I am POSITIVE FTC needs to look at.
Let’s talk about how my back office was messed up for 3 weeks. And I didn’t get my commission on my customers orders. Still NOTHING 6 WEEKS LATER.
DO NOT GET INVOLVED WITH THIS COMPANY. I DO HAVE PROOF. SCREEN SHOT IT ALL.
Liza, have you contacted the FTC? As you are a former rep it it sounds like you have grounds to file a complaint with the FTC and send them the screenshots you have.
I have also noticed the concerning behavior in these Facebook groups for the company. It’s quite obviously a product based pyramid scheme.
Interesting information here. Who is the owner of the company now? I heard it’s Dan Putnum?
I was just considering getting involved with this company not to make money, just for the products. I had a friend of a friend send me pics 30 days apart, looks like he is losing weight FAST. Lost 31 pounds in 1 month.
What I see it the reviews/comments here are about the MLM side, does anyone have reviews about the PRODUCTS!
Thanks.
Bit hard to take B-Epic’s products seriously when they’re attached to a product-based pyramid scheme.
There are a myriad of possible contributing factors to your friend’s weight loss.
Review updated with a note about B-Epic’s B-Eco fuel tab product launch.
Also added Dan Putnam as founder and CEO of the company.
B epic has stolen thousands of dollars from HUNDREDS of reps. They wrongfully close accounts and then give access to others like Wendy Hilton and Jennifer Jaca, Coach AKA Scott Pesichpol and other people in the company.
They are a joke and there is an ongoing investigation with B epic and their practices and lack of integrity.
Stay away from this company. They screw everyone. If they didn’t screw you yet, I promise you, they will.