Hemptonics USA Review 2.0: Retail yay, illegal med claims no
BehindMLM reviewed Hemptonics USA back in February.
Our primary concern, based on Hemptonics USA’s business model failing to encompass retail sales, was that the company was operating as a pyramid scheme.
Hemptonics USA CEO Paul Drockton (right) was quick to reply to our review, incorrectly arguing that retail customers were affiliates.
In April Drockton informed us that Hemptonics USA had relaunched with a new website and compensation plan.
Today we revisit Hemptonics USA for an updated review.
The Company
For some reason Hemptonics USA’s CEO Paul Drockton isn’t mentioned on the company’s website.
When I ran a search for “Drockton” on Hemptonics USA’s website, this result came up:
That webpage however has since been deleted.
On the current Hemptonics USA website Jake Bowen and Stephen Eko are presented as company owners. Eko is also the company’s “African Director”.
Beyond a name and photo, no information about either executive is provided.
Update 29th July 2020 – Paul Drockton has been in touch via the comments below, to advise Stephen Eko “was a distributor who is no longer with the company.”
At the time of publication Eko is still presented on Hemptonics USA’s website as co-owner and African Director of the company. /end update
I went looking for MLM related information on both but turned up nothing.
Hemptonics USA’s Products
Since our initial review, Hemptonics USA has expanded on its flagship Releaf blend CBD oil.
Four products are now featured on Hemptonics USA’s website:
- Releaf Blend CBD+ – CBD oilk with “black cumin oil, Resveratrol, Ashwagandha, ALL 78 Trace Minerals, MCT Oil and Beet Root”, retails at $69 for a 1 fl oz bottle (29.5 ml)
- Power Blend CBD Alternative – “the World’s #1 CBD Alternative … made with Copaiba, Black Cumin and Turmeric (Curcumin)”, retails at $69 for a 1 fl oz bottle (29.5 ml)
- Full Spectrum CBD Gummies with Vitamins & Minerals – “Fortified with 11 Essential Vitamins and Minerals”, retails at $69 for a bottle of fifty gummies
- 1000 mg CBD-Nano Balm with 11 Essential Oils – “Perfect for Chronic Pain, Massage, Muscle Soreness, Joint Pain, and Back Pain”, retails at $69 for a 2 fl oz tub (59 ml)
Hemptonics USA’s Compensation Plan
Hemptonics USA’s compensation plan combines commissions paid on retail sales, as well as recruited affiliate purchases.
Retail Commissions
Hemptonics USA pays a 25% commission on retail customer orders.
Residual Commissions
Hemptonics USA pays residual commissions via a unilevel compensation structure, capped at three levels of recruitment:
- level 1 (personally recruited affiliates) – 25%
- level 2 – 10%
- level 3 – 5%
Sales volume paid out via residual commissions includes both retail sales and unilevel team affiliate orders.
Infinity Bonus
Hemptonics USA’s website mentions an Infinity Bonus but fails to provide specific details.
Infinity Bonus unlocks ALL Levels beneath your third tier!
From the sounds of it, the Infinity Bonus is a generational bonus opening up commissions paid on each unilevel leg.
Leadership and Presidential Bonuses
The Leadership Bonus is a $100 bonus paid every time “your team” sells 100 bottles of Hemptonics USA’s products in a month.
The Presidential Bonus pays $2000 on the “your team” sale of 1000 bottles in a month.
“Your team” isn’t defined by Hemptonics USA but is assumed to refer to the unilevel team (directly and indirectly recruited downline affiliates).
Promotions
Hemptonics USA’s website details “free iPad promotions”, free vacation promotions” and “free car promotions”.
No specifics are provided.
Joining Hemptonics USA
Basic Hemptonics USA affiliate membership is free.
Optional “affiliate kits” are available, ranging in price from $82 to $679.
- Lion Cub Kit – $82 for one Hemptonics USA product
- Lion Kit – $295 for four Hemptonics USA products
- Roaring Lion Kit – $679 for ten Hemptonics USA products
Conclusion
While it’s good to see Hemptonics USA have added retail, the company’s “new” website has also taken several steps backwards.
Executive information – who are these new names and why isn’t CEO, President and majority company owner Paul Drockton featured?
Compensation – A detailed compensation plan needs to be available to the public for review.
I’m guessing not much has changed but out of an abundance of caution I didn’t include any compensation information from our original review.
Somehow Hemptonics USA managed to revamp their website, add retail but provide less information.
On the retail front it’s there but I’m not entirely convinced it’s a focus.
There are no retail requirements and this is taken straight from Hemptonics USA’s current website:
Our Compensation plan pays you for life!
As long as your affiliates buy, you get paid the same high commissions forever!
The good news is now that retail is possible, evaluating a potential Hemptonics USA upline is easier.
What you want to find out is how much sales volume they’ve generated over the past month or two, and specifically how much of that was genuine retail sales.
If retail is low to non-existent, then functionally that affiliate is running their Hemptonics USA business as if there was no retail.
As per our original review, this is a pyramid scheme business model.
Ideally you want to see generated retail volume at least matching affiliate spend.
It is noted that there is no required affiliate spend, that’s not the issue. The issue is whether out of generated commissions, the majority of associated sales volume is retail or affiliate purchases.
One major red flag I want to touch on (that I didn’t come across for our original review), is illegal medical claims being made.
As far as I can tell, there are no peer-reviewed studies evaluating Hemptonics USA’s products with respect to any of those conditions.
Nor is Hemptonics USA approved for treatment, curing or prevention of the conditions in either the US or anywhere in Africa.
That screenshot was taken on July 19th, so the illegal claim has been up for just over three weeks without repercussion.
I came across it looking for detailed compensation information. If it was that easy for me to find, Hemptonics USA has no excuse.
Pending further changes to information provided on Hemptonics USA’s website, approach with caution.
Update 19th September 2020 – As at the time of this update Hemptonics USA’s website domain now redirects to “Hemptonics CBD”.
Hemptonics CBD is run through a shell company in Northern Ireland and doesn’t appear to be MLM.
If that’s not an independent distributor making those claims, he’s just blantantly asking for trouble.
Pretty much daring the FDA to pay them a visit and shut them down after a warning.
I don’t think you reviewed the right website. There was a clone that I had removed by its author… We don’t make any medical claims on our website. Not really sure what that whats app screenshot was all about. Or where you found it. We follow industry best practices on our official website.
We also train our affiliates to do the same.
Also, not sure where you found the following info.
Eko was a distributor who is no longer with the company.
Please removed the above from your article, as well as add a qualifier that the claims were not from the official company website.
Thank you
Paul
Also. Not sure if any other company pays the same commissions on renewals as they do on new business. Most pay a fraction… We operate a 3 tier affiliate program…
Here is the text from our official website: Please remove the incorrect information and replace it with what our website actually says.
(Ozedit: marketing spam removed)
This is not from our Official Website and is false.
I double checked in case I did make an error with the company website but no, I had the right one as provided.
Your affiliates are, and that’s what we’ve pointed out in our review.
Under US law (FTC Act) Hemptonics USA is liable for how its affiliates promote the company and its products.
From your website: hemptonicsusa.com/About-Hemptonics-USA/
I think you might have BehindMLM confused with BusinessForHome. We’re not here to copy and paste what’s on your website verbatim.
This is a review and, provided the source information is accurate, we’ll word it how we see fit.
Oh how cute, you’re deleting pages off your website and then coming back here to question where I got the information from.
Here’s where the Leadership and Presidential Bonus information came from:
I’ve circled confirmation of the date I visited that page when it was live.
Since the 17th you’ve deleted the page and are now pretending it didn’t exist.
It’s one thing to change your compensation plan. Just say so. If you’re going to be disingenuous though I’m going to disengage.
Reader beware.
Finally the illegal medical claims are still up on Facebook. Literally the first result when you search “Hemptonics CBD Oil”.
Since publishing this review the affiliate who runs the page has started promoting the Forsage gifting scheme, go figure.
I have not deleted anything. Please look at the way back machine and you will see that its not changed… so the info is incorrect and you are misrepresenting my company.
So. Please fix it or don’t even bother with a review. As I said, when people visit the site it only hurts your credibility and not mine.
Putting that medical claims section in and representing it as on my website doesn’t improve your credibility. Put the link up so I can find
Please have a look at the link provided, as well as the screenshotted search results.
That compensation plan page was deleted after this review was published. I’ve provided evidence it existed and referenced the bonuses in question.
Never happened.
I think we’re done here Paul. Either you’re being disingenuous or you’re flat out lying. I don’t particularly care which at this point.
So… your conspiracy theory is that I changed my entire Company’s compensation plan after I read this review? Someone should tell our Thousands of affiliates who might not have noticed and left in hordes….
And I can see your medical claims post looks like someone fed that to you from an AFRICAN conversation based on the Country Code… in Whats App… probably your buddy from my old company.
So you will need to send it to their govt. because the FDA has no jurisdiction outside the US.
Slimey and Greasy as expected from a gun for hire from the highest bidder. Not posting the REAL compensation plan is pure evil.
I need to do more research on you to see if you are worth suing for slander. I can report you to your non-us Govt. And they will take Acton.
Or… you can fix the article and tell people the truth.
Better yet. Just remove Hemptonics USA from your website completely and save yourself a war with a Company that will take appropriate action if you libel it.
You have 24 hours to comply.
Nope. Just that you deleted the compensation page from Hemptonics USA’s website that this review was partially based on.
And it’s not a conspiracy theory, I’ve provided evidence.
As stated in the review I came across it searching for Hemptonics USA’s compensation plan. Under the FTC Act Hemptonics USA is responsible for marketing claims made by its affiliates.
Your conspiracy theories with respect to whoever your buddy is are your own. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Sounds like you’ve made a nice bed for yourself in business though.
If you can confirm the Leadership and Presidential Bonuses are no longer part of Hemptonics USA’s compensation plan, I’ll make a note of that in review.
Paul A. Drockton has butthurt!
Drockton – address the issues and you won’t need to threaten to go to lawyers.
Review updated with news Hemptonics USA appears to have been abandoned.
Or they got domain sniped.
?? Hemptonics CBD is run by “Drockton Bullion LTD”.
If you sniped the domain why would you redirect it to Paul Drockton’s business?