Valentus corporate confirm MLM opportunity illegal in UK & Europe
Earlier this month news broke that Trading Standards was cracking down on the illegal sale of Valentus products in the UK.
Trading Standards are an enforcement regulator who, among other things, regulate health and safety regulation in the UK.
On or around late July or early August, Valentus affiliate Charlotte Thompson received a visit from Trading Standards at her home.
The agents purportedly informed Thompson that Valentus wasn’t registered as an MLM opportunity in the UK, making sale of their products illegal.
Valentus to date have no publicly commented on the matter. Privately however Valentus have been holding webinars for their affiliates.
In one leaked webinar a member of Valentus corporate advises affiliates to ignore Trading Standards and continue to market Valentus products illegally.
Terry Recknor identifies herself as Valentus’ Director of International Registration on her LinkedIn profile.
Recknor is based out of Canada and has held the position since January, 2017, in addition to being a Valentus affiliate since January, 2016.
In a recent webinar Recknor attempts to reframe Charlotte Thompson’s visit from Trading Standards as a spam problem.
[0:49] Charlotte Thompson got a visit because she sent four or five thousand emails out to people that she didn’t know.
In that email she put “weight loss coffee”.
So somebody, for all I know it could be a competitor in network marketing – (that) would be my guess, they got that email and dropped a dime on this woman.
And Trading Standards, that’s when it all started.
I couldn’t find anything on the Trading Standards website suggesting they regulate spam, however regulation of scams was quite prominent.
Whether Recknor has spoken with Trading Standards on behalf of Valentus is unclear.
Thompson’s personal account of her Trading Standards visit made no mention of spam.
Thompson made it very clear Trading Standards had a problem with Valentus not being registered for business in the UK, and that (and that alone) making the sale of Valentus products through the attached MLM opportunity illegal.
Logically this would mean how Valentus’ products were marketed irrelevant (spam or otherwise), as it’s the sale of them period that is currently illegal.
A fact which Recknor goes on to acknowledge, despite her re-framing of Thompson’s Trading Standards warning.
[2:14] What you need to understand is, the products technically are illegal because we’re not registered yet.
So when we say they’re illegal, they’re not for resale there.
It’s that simple. We’re not technically allowed to sell our products anywhere in Europe right now.
This acknowledgement raises a dilemma for Valentus, because an MLM company without retail sales is a pyramid scheme.
A few weeks ago, the UK was the third largest source of traffic to the Valentus website (15%).
They’ve since droped to fourth (9.8%) behind Spain (12.6%).
but the question remains: How are Valentus affiliates in the UK and Europe (Spain) running their business?
If Valentus affiliates are making retail sales, that means they’re doing so illegally.
If Valentus affiliates are on autoship and solely recruiting others who do the same, that means they’re participating in an illegal pyramid scheme.
Which one is it guys?
BehindMLM reviewed Valentus early last year and found its compensation plan favored affiliate autoship recruitment over retail sales.
The webinar referenced in this article was published to YouTube on August 20th by Natasha Shingles.
Shingles claims Valentus corporate have been telling UK affiliates
[1:32] they are OK to sell their weight loss coffee products.
They’re OK to continue to recruit, to continue to sell via their (Valentus) website link. It’s absolutely fine, it doesn’t matter.
As I write this Valentus have still made no public comment on the legal status of their MLM opportunity in the UK and Europe.
Neither explanations make sense.
AFAIK, UK law does NOT require MLM to register with the government. There was no mention of such laws on DSA UK website.
The claim that that Thompson was simply “spamming” made no sense either.
For Valentus to claim “we’re not registered yet” makes no sense.
OTOH, the emphasis on “registered product” is interesting.
I think what really happened is Thompson’s email blast about “weight loss coffee” triggered an investigation by Trading Standards about the claims.
Specifically, it is probably due to the claim that SlimRoast contains L-Carnitine and Garcinia Cambogia, which, according to buyslimroast.co.uk // health and safety FAQs
However, UK’s Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which is a civilian organization that interprets UK Code of Advertising (CAP Code) for businesses and consumers, states very clearly in their “slimming guidelines for the press” (asa.org.uk) that
Basically, Valentus claims that seem to be okay in US are NOT acceptable in UK.
And what’s really interesting was there **was** a Valentus UK. It was dissolved back in April 2017.
Which, by extension, means Valentus will NEVER be legal in the UK, as their claims CANNOT stand up to science as per UK law, and UK law requires companies that make a claim to have actual proof (unlike US law).
Good luck, Valentus.
If there had been a spam problem, then the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) would have been involved, plus solicitors and possibly police?
I do not see any evidence of that.
Trading Standards were involved due to the Food and Standards Authority confirming the contents of Valentus products were not authorised and licensed to be consumed within the United Kingdom.
The ICO could become involved if those spammed now make a complaint.
Forgot Chromium (picolinate). That’s in Valentus coffee too (and on the list of unacceptable claims.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, Ms. Racknor, for implying that simple registration would fix the problem, when the problem is a fundamental “tall tale” claim with ingredients known to be no acceptable in UK.
Which, indirectly, is a reflection of sad state of affairs in the US that allow such claims to be made legally without repercussion.
IMHO, it’s more about making unsubstantiated weight loss claims, but that basically amounts to the same thing.
I’ve verified (see above comments) three of the ingredients claimed by Valentus are on the CAP’s “unacceptable claims (weight loss)” list. It could be that FSA are the ones who help enforce that.
You don’t have to register to run an MLM in the UK. Its the product, the claims they make, the product would have to pass all the regulations and claims before it can be sold in the UK. Making the product illegal to sell either retail or via MLM.
If they were just selling the product in shops without MLM, it would still be illegal!
Two types of permits are needed in Europe to operate in full legality!
One for MLM’s “Direct Sales With Chartered Sales” and one for the products!
If a direct sales activity is performed as an “Independent Distributor” or as a “Distributor” serves a commercial license from a company based in the nation, operators operate under the responsibility and following the rules of the national affiliate!
Lets get real…MLM are ran by folks who feed off the gullible.
Please note in all these companies only the players who started it up are making any real monies, meanwhile the gullible buy into these get rich quick schemes of false promises, doing nothing more than lining the higher up pockets!
Keep in mind the fact that Luan Mountford the gal narrating the youtube above was also with Valentus. I also refer to her as a MLM hopper, if you view her FB page clearly she sell everything and anything under the sun…
From what I gather from her own FB page Luan Mountford was loving Valentus, until she got her bloomers in a twisted after she was declined on stage to speak and told go sit down because it was leaned her speech was going to advertise other products from another MLM company, while at a convention being held with Valentus, not a lot class with this gal!
Luan makes negative, nasty post daily, kinda sad that one needs to bad another company so they can drum up business for VITAE GLOBAL.
It’s laughable to go up read the comments from the gullible who buy into these crooks delusional promises of getting rich, when the only ones I see getting rich are the main players, feeding off the bottom feeders…
I’m not be shocked if I read Mr Volpe shooting unicorn rainbows out his @$$ next! Like watching a spoof of SNL.. Toney
I joined Valentus a couple of months ago when I found out it was illegal in the UK.
I notified my upline who refused to speak to me and stopped my messages getting through
Needless to say I resigned.
David
This what I been hearing, it’s the up-lines in the USA who are not obeying to the laws of the UK, not Valentus per-say.
When I had my business once my buyers paid for and received the products I had no control over who or what they sold em for. Toney
I’ll say it again, ALL MLM are scam!
Toney,
The Female narrating this Youtube video is Natasha Shingles, not Luan Mountford.
Toney = It was not Luan, it waa me. And to confirm I am not part of any MLM company. It was my video, if you read the article it does actually say it was me.
In MLM a company is responsible for its distributors.
For Valentus to be legal retail sales have to be taking place. If retail sales of Valentus products are illegal in the UK, there’s no legal way for affiliates to conduct business there.
@Joshua Jones
Bad grammar on my end.. Luan Mountford is the narrating in the video! Toney
My bad lol.. I’m not seeing all these reply on my phone! Sorry.
… Toney
If this is so, MLM need drop the line your, your own boss etc.. MLM are BS in book, get a real job! I’m thinking about attending the lawsuit…
Obviously you’re not your “own boss” in MLM. Every MLM company has an affiliate TOS (Policies and Procedures) that you have to agree to when you sign up.
Try to run your MLM business “your way” (differently) and see what happens…
Oz… I think that what were seeing, the results of folks who believed and bought into they were their own boss!
Really go up and google (SimRoast be your own boss) You get pages saying. (Become your own boss. All it cost is $20 to become a Valentus).
Here are just a few google links/pages declaring be your own BOSS~
… Toney
This is just one of the many lies and half-truths MLMers tell their targets, and it’s nothing new unfortunately.
MLMers must embellish and lie or no one would buy into it. It’s a cycle that I hope someday will come to an end.
@Char
Simply due to the fact folks believe they’ll get rich, MLM will remain! The car allowance? Another ripe off, these MLM company’s rack in big money when folks sign up for these supposedly amazing perks rewards!
Instead of them written you out a big fat check for your hard earn work, they cut a check to some holder for 1,000 at the most. You do best save up what your earning buy a car outright! .. Here a great link on how MLM car programs work… Toney
onlinemlmcommunity.com/mlm-car-bonus-what-you-should-know/
Finally was able to view the video my laptop much easy to understand than on the phone…
Technically you can buy it in the UK, but you cannot sell or recruit, as the former Valentus affiliate Charlotte Thompson was doing and few other as well!
So Terry Recknor not being dishonesty technically, when she says they/you cannot sell their products (to make a profit off other’s or recruit), this is not the same as you buying it for your own personal consumption! And that’s what Terry saying is ok to do!
Keep in mind Terry Terry Recknor is from Canada and she cannot speak for Mr Jordan who resigned within the USA, subject to the Laws here!
ALL MLM are Pyramid scheme! Toney
Which means there are no retail customers, which means Valentus is operating as a pyramid scheme.
An MLM company with ~100% revenue generated from affiliate purchases = pyramid scheme (ref: Vemma, Herablife).
Keep in mind many who join up with these MLM do believe they are their own boss and can run it as such!
All MLM are pyramid scheme, plus I do find it kinda strange here, here you have Mr Jordan who been in the MLM for 14 years and never had any issues or complaints made against him, in fact many speak highly of Mr Dave Jordan! …
So what has happen here that has changed? Well for one Valentus was doing just fine, until the shit hit the fan with Mr Louis Volpe, who reputation is shady at best!
I do believe once this law suite comes to light between Mr Jordan, Valentus & Mr Volpe, Vitae Global – Lean Java Bean, were gonna find out who’s really to blame here for this mess! Toney
Are they legal yet in ireland? im seing loads advertise but its alot stricter here and cant find rhem registerd anywhere.
Tried asking the company itself if it’s registered? Or whoever they’re supposed to be registered with if you can’t get a straight answer.
@Spelltris no they are not fully legal on many products in countries all over Europe and you need to inform your authorities as New Zealand and Denmark have issued warnings of illegal substances found in the products and the FDA in USA have busted them.
Refer to the excellent articles from Oz. You can find the truth via the internet too but Oz NEVER writes anything he can’t back up anyway.
They are incorporated as a company in Ireland probably chose there because evaded the UK on VAT if you dig back in 2017 and had to appear to look legal somewhere so chose Ireland.
However incorporating a company makes no difference to the products and business being legal to trade and reps reselling their drug enhanced coffee.